ROADWORK PUTS SHOPPERS IN A BOTTLENECK

Robert BlauCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The last-minute Christmas rush in Downers Grove is stuck in gridlock, according to local merchants and shoppers.

The busy intersection at Butterfield Road and Highland Avenue has been undergoing major construction since summer, but the traffic problems have been exacerbated by Christmas shoppers driving to the numerous malls along Butterfield Road. This has left merchants complaining about lost sales and their customers exhausted from the nerve-bending journey in search of espresso machines, Gotcha guns and stuffed bears.

''It`s hurt our business about 20 to 25 percent,'' said Ron Talerico, manager of That`s Our Bag in the T.H. Mandy Off Price Fashion Center on Butterfield Road. ''We get a lot of phone calls saying, `I want to come, but I don`t want to mess with the traffic.` You`re talking about sitting 40 to 45 minutes in that, especially any time between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. It`s a total madhouse.''

The problem, Talerico said, can be seen every evening from the shopping mall. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cars reach a virtual standstill as they approach the intersection.

The $10.6 million Illinois Department of Transportation project, begun last August, involves building an interchange that will allow Highland Avenue traffic to cross over Butterfield Road. Construction is expected to be completed by October, before next year`s holiday season.

''People basically understand, even if they are grinding their teeth,''

said Ed Nash, deputy public affairs officer for the Transportation Department. ''We try to point out that in the long run it will indeed be better for their businesses.''

Nevertheless, some area merchants insist on a short-term analysis.

At the Dress Barn, manager Penny Smith reports a 20 percent drop in Christmas sales, which she attributes to the traffic on Butterfield Road and the recent stock market crash.

''(Employees from) the big companies up and down Butterfield are not stopping in like they ordinarily do,'' Smith said.''Customers say they`ll never be back till after construction.''

''We get a lot of cranky customers,'' said Kim Marsh, manager of the Cook`s Cupboard. ''You get the old women who want to get to the store and go back home. They get here and they`re so nervous they just want to get their stuff and get out of here.''

''I haven`t seen the place this empty,'' commented Joe Kratzer of Downers Grove, who stopped into the Spiegel outlet earlier this week. ''Last year it was so busy you gave up after a while.''

At the Frusen Gladje ice cream store, Jennifer Tillis, who normally scoops ice cream cones, said business has fallen off so drastically that she now has time ''to bring her homework and do it without being interrupted.''

But some retailers admitted that their complaints over traffic reflected their perennial frustration with sales figures. Sales, no matter how healthy they are, can always be better, merchants say.

And while some retailers groaned, others along Butterfield Road strived for positive attitudes to deal with the gridlock.

''We`ve gone through a lot of crises and we`ve always come out on top,''

said Robert Dent, a manager at Chernin`s shoe store in the Finley Square shopping center. ''We don`t let these types of adversities get to us. Regardless of what the situation is we always look at the positive. We`re beating last year`s figures.''

And when construction is completed?

''Our business will double,'' Dent said.

Indeed, some shoppers conceded that despite the hassle of getting to the malls, the holiday season would force them to brave the traffic.